United States of America
|largest_city = |established = July 4, 1776 |currency = (USD $)|official_languages = |population_estimate = 330,254,034 (as of 2020) |leader_name1 = |leader_name2 = |leader_title1 = President |leader_title2 = Vice President |languages = }} The (USA), more commonly known as the United States '('U.S.) or America, is a federal constitutional republic situated mostly in central North America. Its 48 contiguous states and , the capital district, rests between the Pacific and , bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west across the . The state of is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean such as Puerto Rico. The United States in Grand Theft Auto Main In the Grand Theft Auto universe, most of the locations in the games are based on cities and states found in the real-life USA. *Liberty City is based on and is one of the three settings of Grand Theft Auto 1 and the main setting of Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto IV. It also makes a minor appearance in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. *Vice City is based on the city of and the located in South Florida. It is one of the three settings in Grand Theft Auto 1 and the main setting in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. *San Andreas takes different inspirations depending of the universe: **The city from the 2D Universe is based on . It is one of the three setings in Grand Theft Auto 1. **The state from the 3D Universe is inspired by the real-life states of and , comprised of fictional cities based on real cities in those states, these are: Los Santos (Los Angeles), San Fierro (San Francisco) and Las Venturas (Las Vegas). **The state from the HD Universe is closely based on real-life Southern California and is comprised of two main counties: Los Santos County and Blaine County. It is the main setting of Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online. *The State of Alderney is based on the state of and is located to the west of Liberty City. Although the two states are completely independent from one another, Alderney City is known by many as being part of Liberty City's metropolitan area. It is part of the main setting of Grand Theft Auto IV. *The State of North Yankton is based on and is the minor setting in Grand Theft Auto V, in the Prologue and in the mission Bury the Hatchet. Locations The State of San Andreas, which contains three large cities and rural areas with small towns between, is located in the American Southwest, considering it has large deserts. The 3D Universe's Liberty City is located somewhere in the Northeast, since it snowed in the mission Saint Mark's Bistro in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and the player must fly eastwards to get there. The Grand Theft Auto IV rendition of Liberty City is in Liberty City State, also located on the East Coast. Note that the 3D Universe and HD Universe do not follow the same canon. Vice City is located in the South of the United States. Unlike the other cities featured in-game, Vice City is the only known fictional city to be located in a real-life state, as various characters refer to the city as being located in Florida. In all the games (excluding GTA V), the cities are always located on several islands connected by bridges. They appear to be isolated islands in the middle of the sea, but this is due to game limitations. Rockstar Games have stated that they avoid placing unreachable pieces of land within the games to keep the complete feel to the game. There are multiple islands, and every game except GTA V starts with certain bridges blocked, restricting the player from exploring the entire city at the start of the game. There is always a story why the bridges are shut, sometimes relative to the location of the game; for example, the bridges in Vice City are shut due to hurricane warnings, while in HD-era Liberty City, they are blocked due to to terrorist threats, and bridges in San Andreas are blocked because of a major earthquake and Frank Tenpenny warning Carl that he couldn't leave the town. These restrictions are lifted as the story progresses, with the earlier reason for them being closed having passed, unlocking new parts of the city/state for the player to explore. Secondary Other cities are mentioned as well and some of them are the main settings of other Rockstar's videogames: *Bullworth is a town in , and is where the game Bully takes place, apparently as a bridge between the 3D and HD Universes. GTA IV contains references to Bully, as Bully contains references to 3D Universe. *Carcer City is an industrial possibly based in Alderney State or Liberty State, and is where the game takes place. It takes place in the 3D Universe. There are references to Manhunt in GTA III during a news segment on the radio saying that Carcer City is not too far from Liberty City. *It is unknown whether , , and are in the same universe, as there are no references to indicate this, but nothing to contradict it either; however, the real states of New York and California are mentioned in the game, so all three regions may be in a different universe. However, Sandy Shores (small town which featured in GTA V) has a street named Cholla Springs Avenue, a reference to a desert location in Red Dead Redemption. There is also a car hire business named Escalera Rent-A-Car, a reference to the Nuevo Paraiso town of Escalera. Also in GTA Online, you can pick John Marston or a descendant of the aforementioned to be your father. *During the mission Practice Swing in The Ballad of Gay Tony, Tony refers to Rocco as being under the age of consent in , thus confirming the State of Utah's existence in the GTA universe. *Tony also refers as stated in a ''Liberty Tree'' article: " If I wanted to go to bed at 8 pm everyday, I would go to Ohio. Not that there's anything wrong with Ohio. I just used it as an example". *In a GTA IV commercial for the in-game movie ''Dragon Brain'', California was mentioned. * The state of is referenced by congressman Thomas Stubbs in The Lost and Damned 's final mission "Get Lost". Politicians Throughout the GTA games, numerous United States politicians are mentioned, including presidents, congressmen, governors, and mayors. These include both fictional and real-life individuals. Fictional U.S. politicians are used to parody several real-life individuals as well as the U.S. and local governments. 3D Universe *Presidents **'John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)' - In GTA San Andreas, set in 1992, The Truth mentions John F. Kennedy and his assassination. **'Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)' - Mentioned on the radio and his photo is an Easter egg in GTA Vice City. **'George W. Bush (2001-2009)' - The ''Liberty Tree'' article "The W Comes To Town" shows George W. Bush having just been elected president at the time of GTA III, entirely canon with real-life events. *Congressmen **'Alex Shrub (?-1986)' - A fictional right-wing Florida congressman appearing in GTA Vice City whose name and mannerisms are based on George H.W. Bush, voices his intention to run for president, although he fails after his affair with porn star Candy Suxxx becomes public (all of this happening in 1986). Said affair became a very public spectacle, even across the country in San Andreas where photos of Shrub and Suxxx are seen on Carl Johnson's wall. *Mayors **'Roger C. Hole (1992[[Liberty Tree/R.C. Hole In Another Probe|"R.C. Hole In Another Probe"]] - Liberty Tree (''GTA Liberty City Stories manual)-1998)' - Liberty City Mayor. **'Miles O'Donovan (1998-?)' - Liberty City Mayor. HD Universe *Presidents ** '''Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) '- Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton mentioned in GTA IV in TV program A History of Liberty City. **'Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)' - Abraham Lincoln and his assassin John Wilkes Booth are mentioned on the GTA V website Yourdeadfamily.com. **'George Lawton (Unknown)' - Presumably based on George H.W. Bush. He became a senator after serving as president. **'Joe Lawton (Unknown-present)' - A parody of former president George W. Bush mentioned in both'' GTA IV'' and GTA V. *Mayors **'Julio Ochoa (2001-2009)' - Liberty City Mayor. Possibly a parody of Michael Bloomberg or Rudolph Giuliani. *Governors **'John Hunter (2008)' - A liberal candidate running for governor of the State of Liberty in GTA IV. **'Michael Graves (2008)' - A conservative candidate running for governor of the State of Liberty in GTA IV. **'Jock Cranley (2013) '- A conservative candidate running for governor of the State of San Andreas in GTA V. **'Sue Murry' (2013) '- A liberal candidate running for governor of the State of San Andreas in ''GTA V. Society While similar to the real life USA in a number of ways, there are a few notable differences with the United States of America in Grand Theft Auto, the most obvious one is the exaggerated amorality and corruption, there is also an unusually frequent number of unhinged and deranged individuals, even in the public service such as the Police force or politics. While there is some decent citizens, quite a high number of people are either usually indifferent to crime or even outright encourage and enjoy it. Public figures such as celebrities are usually extremely over the top in being vain and selfish. Drugs are openly talked about and even admitted to being taken. Even the country itself is depicted as jingoistic and authoritarian. In 2008, fear of terrorism is seen as a valid reason to close the bridges of Liberty City, thus making the life of common people difficult. Is also worth noting that the country fought an Australian-American War, and this event is canon in both the 3D and HD Universe. Society has become indifferent to the point that on some radio stations, violence is allowed to go unpunished and sometimes even encouraged. One radio host allowed an unhinged man to trepanate the other two guests live on air with a drill, and another radio station which has a broadcasted courtroom, features a Judge who frequently abuses his power, displays sexism and at one point forces defendants to fight each other to the death. No known legal repercussions seem to be done about this. From 2013 to 2018, American society has become morally bankrupt enough that television shows regularly air blatantly disturbing and deranged content, ranging from crimes being openly committed on air to televising extreme right wing and left wing cartoons. The talent show Fame or Shame shows racism and has the host frequently bullied and even outright assaulted. The Jack Howitzer reality program shows Jack firing a gun at the TV crew and is implied to have the killed previous talent agent. A dead prostitute can also been seen in the motel Jack is living in. Again, there doesn't seem to be any legal consequences for this and in fact, the agent has the room "cleaned" despite this all being filmed and spoken about. Vehicular gladiatorial deathmatches such as Arena War are seemingly legal and is shown to a live audience in the maze stadium, it is also broadcasted through streaming devices such as the internet. Spectators are encouraged to interfere and even murder the contestants during the matches. The commentators are also gleeful and mocking in their commentary on the destruction and homicides that occur during matches, showing no regarding or care for the numerous deaths that occur. Known Locations 2D Universe *Liberty City (New York City)' **Central Landmass (Manhattan) **Eastern Landmass (Brooklyn, Queens) **Minor Islands (Roosevelt Island, Rikers Island) **North Eastern Island (The Bronx) *'State of New Guernsey (New Jersey)' *'San Andreas (San Francisco)' **Northern Landmass (San Francisco) **South Eastern Landmass (Marin County) *'Vice City (Miami)' **Western Landmass (Miami Mainland) **North Eastern Island (Miami Beach) **Eastern Island *'Anywhere City' 3D Universe State of Florida *'Vice City ( )' State of Liberty *'Liberty City' **Portland (Brooklyn, Queens, Lower Manhattan) **Staunton Island (Manhattan, Staten Island) **Shoreside Vale (New Jersey, Bronx, Long Island, Westchester) **Upstate Liberty (Upstate New York) '''Note: The latter is not included in any gameworld, and therefore inaccessible in-game.' State of San Andreas *'Bone County' **Area 69 **Fort Carson **Las Brujas **Las Payasadas *'Flint County' **Angel Pine *'Las Venturas ( )' *'Los Santos ( )' *'Red County' **Blueberry **Dillimore **Montgomery **Palomino Creek *'San Fierro ( )' *'Tierra Robada' **Aldea Malvada **Bayside **El Quebrados **Las Barrancas *'Whetstone' **Angel Pine Unknown State(s) *'Carcer City ( , or )' *'Cottonmouth (possibly or )' Mentioned Locations *States ** (mentioned in the talk show Pressing Issues in VCPR) ** (mentioned by Toni on Flash FM in GTA Vice City) ** (mentioned by Toni on Flash FM in GTA Vice City) ** (mentioned by pedestrians in and on the talk show Pressing Issues in VCPR GTA Vice City) ** (mentioned by Toni on Flash FM in GTA Vice City) ** (mentioned by Pastor Richards as his place of birth in a fictional town named Mars) ** (mentioned by Mike Toreno in Highjack in GTA San Andreas) **Nevada (mentioned in the talk show Pressing Issues in VCPR) *Cities **Capital City (Washington, D.C.) **Columbia, Missouri (Mentioned by Mary-Beth Maybell on K-Rose in GTA San Andreas) **Green Bay, Wisconsin (Mentioned by BJ Smith on K-Chat in GTA Vice City) **Nashville, Tennessee (Mentioned by Mary-Beth Maybell on K Rose in GTA San Andreas) **Tampa, Florida (Mentioned by BJ Smith on K-Chat in GTA Vice City) HD Universe State of Alderney *'Alderney City (Jersey City)' **Acter **Acter Industrial Park **Alderney State Correctional Facility **Berchem **Leftwood **Normandy **Port Tudor **Tudor **Westdyke State of Liberty *'Liberty City (New York City)' **Algonquin (Manhattan) **Bohan (Bronx) **Broker (Brooklyn) **Dukes (Queens) *'Bullworth' North Yankton (North Dakota) *'Ludendorff (Fargo)' State of San Andreas *'Blaine County' **Fort Zancudo **Grapeseed (Bakersfield/Lamont/Grapevine) **Harmony (Oasis/Victorville) **Paleto Bay (Morro Bay/Cambria) **Sandy Shores (Desert Shores/Bombay Beach) *'Los Santos County (Los Angeles County)' **Los Santos (Los Angeles) **Del Perro (Santa Monica) **Rockford Hills (Beverly Hills) **Davis (Compton) **Chumash (Malibu) *'Red County' Mentioned Locations *States ** (mentioned by Thomas Stubbs in The Lost and Damned, and is also the birthplace of The Ballad of Gay Tony character Evan Moss) ** (mentioned on Leftover-vacations.com) ** (mentioned in The Ballad of Gay Tony) ** (mentioned on the radio talk show Just or Unjust on WKTT Radio) ** (mentioned in GTA IV as Wade Johnson's birthplace, and in GTA Online) ** (mentioned in The Ballad of Gay Tony) ** (mentioned in a commercial for the in-game movie Dragon Brain) ** (mentioned by various club-goers in The Ballad of Gay Tony) ** (Mentioned on a bottle of "Richard's Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey" in GTA V) ** (Mentioned in GTA IV) *Cities **Carcer City (possibly in located in The State of Alderney, possibly based on , , and parts of ) (mentioned in The Paleto Score) ** ** (mentioned in The Science Of Crime ad on radio) ** ** (mentioned on Liesdamnlies.net, a user called Phil from London posts about a holiday he took to New Orleans) ** (mentioned in "Strange Tramps Seen All Over Liberty City") **San Fierro (mentioned multiple times in GTA IV and also mentioned on Fabien LaRouche's website in GTA V) **Las Venturas (Mentioned multiple times in GTA IV and on the CB radio of certain cars in GTA V) **Red County (Mentioned in GTA IV and the CB radio of semi trucks in GTA V) **The Carraways and specifically, East Carraway, mentioned multiple times in GTA IV and GTA V. ** (a map was seen in the backroom of the club Bahama Mamas in TBoGT) Others *Even though the Grand Theft Auto video games are made in the United Kingdom, specifically Edinburgh, Scotland, they are released first in the United States of America, and subsequently Canada followed by the UK and Europe. The games are primarily based on American popular culture, and nearly all have been set in fictitious (or copied) locations on the American mainland. The music, the clothes, the slang, and the abundance of vehicles in the game are considerably of American origin. *The Idaho, the Washington and the Tampa are vehicles named after American states and cities of the same name. *The San Andreas Flight School Update added an USA Chute Bag in GTA V ''and in the enhanced version, the Dukes has a customizable option where the player can add an American flag to the roof of the car for $2,500. *The Police Stinger police car, the Liberator monster truck and the Sovereign motorcycle have American-themed schemes on it. *There is a USA/American scheme for the Marshall monster truck. *Several Vehicle Brands appear to be of an American origin or mostly based on real-life American brands: **Vapid (Ford) **Declasse (Chevrolet) **Albany (Cadillac) **Schyster (Chrysler) **Dundreary (Lincoln/Mercury) **Bravado (Dodge) **Imponte (Pontiac) **Willard (Buick) **Jobuilt (Kenworth/Peterbilt) **Hijak (Fisker) **Coil (Tesla) **Mammoth (Hummer) **Stanley (John Deere) *Several weapons in ''Grand Theft Auto V are stated to be of an American origin or manufactured by American firearm manufacturers. License Plates *Multiple real-life U.S. states are featured in GTA V, on the wall of Sandy's Gas Station near Trevor's Trailer, in the form of license plates. The states included are , , , , , and (included twice, with different designs). There is also a plate with the year 1965 on it, with the rest of the text covered up. **The 1965 plate is more than likely from or based on the Ohio plates from that time. *A California plate is also visible on a Slamvan wreck located at Stab City in GTA V. References Navigation es:Estados Unidos de América ru:Соединённые Штаты Америки ar:الولايات المتحدة uk:Сполучені Штати Америки Category:Countries